Changing times. Review on Venus Williams

I would like to agree with the school of thought that tennis isnt as interesting as it used to be some years back but to blame it on one person as such is unfair.

Personally, I will watch a boring game of golf instead of Venus Williams but by saying that she is bad for the game, I think is wrong.

Many years back (1985 I think) a certain Boris Becker came on to the scene and blew away everybody who held a racket. He was the Blood and thunder merchant. He had a serve most people had difficulty even seeing. He was heralded as the new Prince of tennis. But I didnt hear anyone complain that he was spoiling the game, which in actuality he was (taking off from the Venus-spoiling-the-game theory).But today this same serve would be far from the fastest. Point is as the game proceeds changes take place. Not everything happens for the best but it happens all the same, whether one likes it or not. The youngsters of today are built like trucks and can deliver quite a punch beginning with their serve. But its the only way they will survive. As people try harder, the game gets more complex. The margin between talent and power becomes slim.

Venus Williams is gifted, but it is not her fault if she has been gifted with a physique that would put a certain percentage of men to shame. She is an amazing athlete and we have to give her credit for that. What she is doing is the giving her best to succeed (since when is that a crime?)and the best way for her is to bulldoze her opponents. It is for her opponents to figure out ways to beat her and THAT is when it gets interesting. I really rejoice when someone beats the williams sisters not because I hate their dominance of the game, but because someone out there is putting enuf energy to deal with a obviously stronger (physically) player and is outwitting her (as that can be the only way, out powering is out of question) which says a lot for the game.

Steffi Graf was unbeatable in her time because she was so much stronger than her opponents. She took fitness to another level and set an example for the rest to follow. So why blame Venus? You could as well blame Graf.

As far back as I can stretch my memory, Jana Novotna was the only player who could win a game on talent alone. Oh for a stronger head on that wonderfully skilled player.

Even the mens game is the same, it just keeps getting more powerful with each generation. At a time when Stefan Edberg was trying to beat opponents with grace and skill, his younger counterparts (Goran Ivanisevic for ex.)were pounding in 120 mph aces. Now the same men are getting blown off the court by yet a stronger generation of players (Mark Phillipoiafaihjiadg...)who may not have ''talent'' as we have come to know it, but they have developed the skill to propell the ball as best and as fast as it can possibly go. Return a Mark Philiogangangjkdn serve and the blighter doesnt know what to do with the ball. He (6 times out of 10) dumps the ball into the net. So logically he should lose, right? but NO! This joker actually wins matches. Its because he is good at something even though that something is not something we respect a lot.

Perhaps its a individuals fault that he doesnt invest enuf time to develop his skills and instead concentrates on the easier(of the two)method of plastering the ball all over the place, but its still a technique and its damn difficult in its own right.

Coming back to Venus Williams, I think a day will come when there will be players who are as powerful (if not more) as she is and she will have to leave the scene or develop more skills to be able to sustain her position. Just like how Monica Seles with her brand of grunt tennis ousted Steffi graf from the scene until some nut decided he would take the womens tennis ''power'' girl out of contention.

In a much smaller scale isnt this the same thing? Arent we voicing what the guy (gunther I think it was) did physically? We thankfully have the control of our minds!

There used to be a time when I used to get frustrated watching the newage power tennis players beating the brains out of some of my favourites. Only a matter of time before I realised thats its much the same in just about everything in this world. The competition gets stiffer and more competitive and either you cope up or be left out.

As viewers, as most of us would be, we can choose to accept this brand of tennis as the shape of things to come or sit on our couches like old hags and complain about the changes.

Remember the time when people all over said that mobile phones were a unnecessary utility and just a social status symbol? Now we think differently dont we? Need I say more?